Kinkelbos Station not fully operational, despite MEC’s assurances

Immeasurable damage is being done to our roads by overloaded trucks which are taking advantage of the non-operational Kinkelbos weighbridge station on the N2, while the MEC of Transport remains in denial.

Broken and pot-holed roads are a risk to road users and businesses who rely on trucks to get their products to market.

In a response to a parliamentary question, Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana gave assurances that the Kinkelbos weighbridge station situated on the outskirts of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, is fully operational.

Anyone who has driven past this installation knows that things couldn’t be further from the truth. The reality is that the Kinkelbos weighbridge station has been in and out of action since 2015.

This station is not fully operational, there are no guards, cleaners or braking system. The street lights, early warning system and signage are all non-operational.

By her own admission, Tikana says that they are still waiting for the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL) head office to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to operate the Kinkelbos station as a joint venture, and admits that the department has not appointed a security company for the station yet.

The province is losing huge amounts of revenue from fines, while overloaded trucks take advantage of the lack of policing. These overloaded trucks cause significant damage to critical roads infrastructure, that is vital to the economy of this province.

We can also not afford to lose out on the millions of rands of fines from these overloaded vehicles, that have disregarded weight specifications.

It is vital that this station is fully operational before the Festive Season begins, which sees a significant increase in traffic on our roads, and where these overloaded vehicles pose a significant danger to other road users.

I acknowledge the hard work the traffic officers are doing at this station, but room must be made for improvements.

The DA will be keeping a close watch on the Kinkelbos weighbridge station, and whether the MEC will improve the current situation at the station.